Conventional techniques for removing oil from oil pans or other fluids from their respective reservoirs rely either: (1) on gravity to drain fluids from reservoirs into waiting receptacles or (2) on pumps or vacuum devices to suction fluids out of reservoirs and deposit them into used fluids receptacles. Dependence on gravity flow requires a technician to unscrew and remove the manufacturer's drain plug and hope that a receptacle is properly positioned to catch the draining fluids. This type of fluid removal leads to inevitable spills, drips, splashes, and overflowing used fluid pans, even despite a technician's best preventive efforts. Compounding the problem is the environmental endangerment that occurs when changing oils and fluids in the work field, where the wind often blows the fluids being drained over the ground and often even into waterways and streams that happen to be near worksites. The end results are environmental endangerment and the technician's exposure to the hydrocarbons and benzenes found in used oil, or other toxic chemicals found in other fluids.
Vacuum and pump style evacuation systems have introduced suction and evacuation hoses to the oil and fluids changing process. While an improvement over the earlier gravity-based process, these devices have yet to present a fail-safe system for preventing environmental threats and damage to engines.
Some conventional solutions to this problem are disclosed in prior U.S. patents described below. U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,154, issued to Gary Sage, Dec. 19, 1995, discloses an oil changing apparatus that relies in part on a modified drain plug connector and includes a valve that remains closed until the suction side of a coupler is plugged in, opening the valve and allowing fluid to flow, and resulting in suction-powered removal of oil from a reservoir and replenishing of fresh oil. U.S. Pat. No. 5,209,198, issued to Ram D. Bedi et al., May, 1993, discloses an oil removal system that relies on a quick-coupler valve that screws into the drain pan. U.S. Pat. No. 3,867,999, issued to Robert G. Cox on Feb. 25, 1975, discloses a pressure operated system for draining oil. U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,219, issued to Eduardo Peralto on Jul. 13, 1993, discloses an internally mounted apparatus for high speed oil changes, with the apparatus including a valve and a reversible pump, coupled between the oil drain opening and a multi-way valve. U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,672, issued to Frank J. Senese on Jun. 20, 1978, discloses a pressure operated oil draining apparatus, which draws oil through a dipstick conduit.
The solutions of these patents do not provide protection and convenience. For example, one drawback with each of the above referenced disclosures is that each requires connecting and disconnecting a hose to a drain plug with each service or oil change. Current fluid evacuation procedures require that the mechanic, or other technician, crawl under the vehicle or apparatus being serviced to access the plug as best he can, place a receptacle in at least close proximity to where the fluid will drain out and into the receptacle, remove the plug, push a button, twist a bolt, or turn a lever or plug in a hose to activate the spring-loaded plunger inside to begin the fluid flow.
None of the currently available procedures for removing used fluids from reservoirs uses an attached evacuation hose or a vacuum-actuated safety check-valve that replaces the factory's drain plug in the reservoir and retains fluid in reservoirs should the valve be severed, sheared, or otherwise broken away. Furthermore, currently available procedures do not eliminate the need for a fluid transport hose to be permanently attached at the reservoir, thus eliminating the need for a technician to crawl under the vehicle or apparatus to attach an evacuation hose.